25 Days of Ficmas
by Pms-tories
Summary: An attempt at that Christmas Challenge. In here you will find Wonderbeetle, Supermartian, Spitfire, and some platonic moments centered around winter prompts.
1. Day 1- Hot Chocolate

The lights in the Reyes house hold came to life, shining the way for the two teens. The air inside was a certain type of warmth not found outside during these winter months. The rack accepted their coats and the mat promised to guard their shoes. Laughter bounced off of the walls and moved further inside.

"Your family isn't here." Cassie waggled her eyebrows at him, fingers tugging at her gloves.

"All part of my plan," Jaime played along and wrapped an arm around her waist. Their hips touched as he brought her to his side. "Are you ready?"

She relaxed against him and a spell was cast over her. She was hyper aware of where their body made contact; the areas burning like a stove top. The seconds ticked by while Cassie appreciated how close they were. Putting her head on his shoulder so she could look at him, she waited for him to continue talking. He silently smiled at her, eyebrows barely pushed up. She mimicked his look and realized he was waiting for her to respond.

"I'm ready to try the hot chocolate you promised me."

He shook his head and let go of her waist. "Not just any hot chocolate. The _best _hot chocolate ever."

She had to laugh at his proud demeanor.

He rolled his eyes, walking to the kitchen to start his culinary genius. She followed him until the counter where she sat down on one of the stools. She had no idea what the perfect hot chocolate needed and decided to watch. She snorted lightly at the pink apron covered in cartoon cupcakes that he put on without a second thought.

"Tye and I came up with this recipe," He gloated while rummaging for a sauce pan, "It was a couple years ago when we were watching Milagro. She wanted hot chocolate and you know how picky she is. She wouldn't settle for the packet ones so it had to be made from scratch. We spent the whole afternoon trying different combinations until we figured it out."

He lined up all the ingredients by the stove: milk, unsweetened cocoa, white sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, espresso powder, and mini marshmallows. Next he searched for the measuring tools that was scattered around his kitchen. After he had everything he needed he started pouring milk into the heated pan.

"This better be worth it," Cassie joked while playing with the cow themed shakers.

He grinned coyly at her over his shoulder. "It is."

After ten minutes of mindless chatter and teasing, the hot chocolate was ready to be served. Jaime poured the creamy liquid into two mugs and left the kitchen to sit on one of the stools next to her. He presented to her what he dubbed the drink of the Santa Clauses.

"You're really building this up for me." She lifted the mug to her lips, the smell making her mouth water. "What if it's not as good as I imagined it to be?"

"Just try it."

"Fine."

Jaime watched her intently as she took her first sip, his smile widening at her reaction. "What did I say?"

She chugged down the rest, warmth bubbling in her stomach and spreading to the rest of her body. Her taste buds went into overdrive trying to taste everything at once. It was melody – no a symphony in her mouth. It was an impossible flavor. It was everything Jaime promised and more.

And he looked so content with himself. He knew what he did; he ruined hot chocolate for her. No other hot chocolate will be at the same level as this one. She wasn't even exaggerating. This wasn't any ordinary hot chocolate; it was something magical. It was _the _hot chocolate. There had to be some cult devoted to this somewhere.

"More," she demanded, "I need more."

"That's the usual response." He did what he was told and set the refilled mug in front of her. "Try not to burn your tongue off."

She tried to drink this one slower than she did the last one and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "I love you." Realizing she said that out loud she quickly added, "I'm talking to the hot chocolate, not you."

He shrugged, refilling his own mug. "That's another usual response."


	2. Day 2- Candy Canes

"Candy Grams," A shrill voice cut through the hum of voices, announcing one of the two opportunities of the year. "One dollar!"

Conner hated things like this. 'Things like this' a term used for anything got that got the teenagers at the school riled up. It was usually an event that was drawing near, other times it was the birthday of someone with a lot of friends. Holidays, he figured out, was when people became more impatient and rowdy than usual.

That also meant him. His patience was below the normal level as he tried to maneuver around the traffic jam that was high school hallways. Why they had to sell the stupid grams in the middle of the main hallway he will never know. All it did was slow him down and increased the chances of him being late to his next class. He could push everyone out of the way, but that would put his civilian identity at risk.

Marvin appeared next to him from literally nowhere, already using him as a human plow. "S'up."

"Hey."

They managed to squeeze pass the bundle of people only to be met with another group. Conner grumbled something under his breath as he tried to get through. As soon as they saw the face he had put on, they quickly said their goodbyes and made room for him to go. Together they made it through the worse part of the hallway.

"People go crazy for those things," Marvin said, gesturing back to the stand. He flicked his head to the side to get his bangs out of his eyes. "I don't get it."

"Me neither," Conner replied.

"They can just buy a pack of twenty at Wal Mart for five dollars," He continued, "People just use it to see who gets the most – as if that will matter after we graduate. Do you ever hear college kids talking about how many candy canes they got in high school? Nope. Because it's a waste of both time and money. Though, I'll have to stop by and get a candy cane for Wendy."

Conner, who throughout the whole thing was only half listening, stopped Marvin's babbling. "You like Wendy? Didn't you call her fat yesterday?"

"All I said was her uniform looked tight!" Marvin defended, hands thrown up in the air and almost hitting a random freshmen. "I never used the word fat!"

"You should say sorry," he advised; remembering when he hurt M'gann's feelings when they were still barely more than strangers.

Marvin slowed down to a stop in front of their classroom. He squinted one eye at Conner in mock disapproval. "You haven't been listening to me at all." Conner rolled his eyes and led Marvin to their seats. "That's what the candy gram is for. As an apology for something I didn't do. And I don't even have to say sorry."

Conner set his backpack on the chair next to him and leaned back. "It might have the opposite effect."

"No it won't…will it?"

…

The next time some brought up the candy grams that he now despised was Mal. They were waiting by the wooden benches by the front of the locker rooms. Cheerleading had just ended and the girls had been changing for ten minutes. And it'll be about ten more before anyone steps out.

Even though they had accepted that they would spend much unwanted time together, there was still an air of competition between them. A feeling that made them tense around each other. Like two male wolves in a pack where either of them could eventually become the alpha.

Mal was sitting down, the rotting bench barely keeping it together. He had both arms crossed on his chest; the Superman shield barely visible behind the bulging muscle. His backpack was on the ground in front of him and nestled between his legs. Sunglasses were perched on top of his nose, which he peered down at to his phone that was buzzing constantly.

Conner preferred to stay standing. He leaned against the bench opposite of Mal's with his thumbs hooked on the pockets of his jeans. His backpack was hanging off of one shoulder along with M'gann's. His blue eyes glanced around behind squinting eyelids. He could hear the splash of water coming from the locker room.

"I bought Karen twenty of them," Mal gloated eagerly, "I would've bought more, but I'm saving up for Christmas. I'm planning something special for us. You know we got together at a Christmas party. Can't remember where, but I do remember seeing her for the first time."

Conner held back the urge to lift up his eyebrow. Was Mal actually opening up to him? Him? When the longest conversation they had on their own was about the surprise party for the girls when they won a competition. What was the correct response for a situation like this? _Was_ there even a correct response for a situation like this? Conner sure as hell didn't know.

Mal seemed to catch himself and cleared his throat. "How about you? How many did you buy for Megan?"

"None."

"None?!"

Perturbed by his extreme reaction Conner simply shrugged. Mal groaned and shook his head at his not-yet-friend. "It's not the big of a deal."

At this Mal made a sound akin to an elephant. "It is a big deal. Just imagine this: all the girls being happy that they got candy grams from guys and Megan being the only one without one. She would be _left out_."

Conner shoved his hands into his pockets and stared hard at the ground. The last thing he wanted was for Megan to feel left out. He saw how hard she tried to be part of the normal people. He's heard her explain how hard it was to figure out all the workings of a human form. He could see how much she craved normalcy. This might be her only chance to be able to participate in this normal, human activity and he was stealing it from her. All because he didn't feel like it.

"Look," Mal blew a stream of air through his nose and rubbed the back of his neck. "You have about five minutes until they come out of there. Go to the art teacher with the ponytail and buy s couple for her. If they come out early I'll cover for you. Just this once."

Conner nodded briskly and started heading back to the main building. Before reaching the doors he looked back at Mal, trying to figure something out. Mal looked back at him with annoyance. "What? Do you need some cash?"

"No," then he added very earnestly, "Thanks."

…

The total amount of candy canes Megan got on the day they were distributed was forty three. Twenty three more than Karen and eleven more than the girl who usually got the most. Only forty were from Conner and the rest from Karen, Wendy, and the captain of the cheerleading team. She couldn't fit all of them in her backpack so she was given a plastic bag to place them in, which she did carefully.

By lunch word had spread around their group about how many she got from Conner. She gave out a few to her friends that didn't get any or who wanted a snack. To Conner she gave him a kiss and a hug, along with a promise to make it up to him. She was ecstatic.

"I told you to get her couple," Mal hissed at him, "Not everything they had."

Conner just smirked at him while unwrapping one for himself. Karen squeezed Mal's hand in her own and assured him that twenty was more than enough and that she knew he loved her. Marvin asked Wendy about the candy gram he sent her to which she replied with a snort. She then proceeded to hit him on the head with the balled up note that came attached to the candy cane.

"What did Mr. Hotshot write?" Mal asked Megan.

She beamed and handed him one of the scraps of paper. "He wrote the same thing on everyone."

Karen and Wendy read the note along with Mal as Conner said it out loud, "I love you."

Mal rolled his eyes dramatically. "Pfft, how cliché."


	3. Day 3- Snow

"It's snowing."

Jaime looked out the window and sure enough tiny, white fluffs were falling from the sky, making a thin blanket over everything. People were glancing up the sky either frowning or smiling. Children shrieked while tugging on their parents hands, unable to keep the joy inside. The few employees still inside the Starbucks mumbled comments to each other about the first snow of the year.

Putting the top back on his coffee, Jaime let out a breath. It couldn't have started to snow later when he was back home. It had to snow when he was in a café that was about to close. He didn't have the option to stay here until the snow stopped, he had to go outside. He had to go into the snow.

Cassie seemed more than okay with it. In fact she seemed excited to leave and get into the snow. She was munching on her muffin absentmindedly as her eyes stayed transfixed on the window. Her azure eyes followed the snowflakes' journey, the joy causing them to sparkle like a child opening a present. A wide grin eased its way across her face.

On their way out Cassie threw the empty wrapper in the trash, practically skipping to the door. Jaime lagged behind to stay in the toasty air a bit longer while preparing himself for the winter weather. He didn't bother to hide his frown and dragged his feet outside.

It wasn't that he _hated _snow; he just wasn't suited for it. He grew up never seeing the stuff except on the T.V. and he was okay with it. It was when he started doing the hero business that he was exposed to all types of climates. He quickly figured out he hated anywhere where it went under 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

On the other hand, Cassie loved the winter and all things associated with. She grew up with white Christmases almost every year and was an expert snowman maker. The first snow of the year was always an occasion to celebrate by staying outside until frostbite threaten to take her fingers away.

"Snow!" She exclaimed as soon as they stepped outside.

Jaime started shivering the second the door closed behind them and used his coffee to keep his hands warm. "Yay," he exclaimed sarcastically, a small cloud escaping his lips.

She remained oblivious to his sarcasm and stared up at the night sky. Snowflakes fell on her face, melting as soon as they came in contact and barely lowering her body heat. Unable to contain her joy she spread her arms out and started spinning right there on the sidewalk. Her coat flared out around her waist, creating a white blur. She pointed her arms up with her palms up and out to catch a few small crystals in mittens. Giggles escaped her mouth when she opened it.

Jaime couldn't frown at that. How could he be grumpy when his girlfriend turned into a little kid for some frozen water? She was beaming just because of a natural phenomenon that happened all around the world. Just watching her enjoy himself made him hate snow a little less, but he wasn't about to spin around with her.

"I love snow!" Cassie yelled to the world.

Jaime gave a lazy smile and stopped Cassie with his free hand. "Okay, we get it. We should head back before it becomes tomorrow."

"We're making snowmen tomorrow," she panted out, hooking her arm through his. "And having a snowball fight."

An impish smile persuaded Jaime to agree. "Should we add sledding to the list?" He teased, finishing his cup of coffee.

"Oh my gosh, yes! We could use your rocket booster things to go really fast!" She jumped up and down in excitement, jostling an unexcited Jaime. "Wonderful idea!"

"So glad I thought of it."


	4. Day 4- Christmas Tree

How could she have not seen this coming? She shouldn't have been surprised since all he talked about since Thanksgiving was getting their own tree and decorations for their first Christmas living together. So why was she? Because for some odd reason she thought Wally would listen to her when she said that she didn't want a tree.

In the corner of the living room proudly stood a viridian fir surrounded by boxes of what Artemis guessed were the ornaments. She could see something under the boxes and around the tree – were those pine needles from the tree? Of course Wally would get a real tree instead of a fake one.

"There's a tree," Artemis commented, shutting the door behind her bit a stronger than usual. "A Christmas tree."

Wally stood up from the floor in front of the tree and faced Artemis. His puffed his chest out and brought his shoulders back, examining her examine the tree. The corners of his eyes crinkling in elated gratification at the expression on Artemis' face. "Do you like it, babe? I wanted to get it bigger, but this should be good enough."

The tree was as tall as he was and just as wide. It would've looked pathetic in a regular house, but in their little home it actually fit in perfectly. "What happened to the table that was there?" Artemis questioned, setting her books on the coffee table.

"Guess the color scheme for the ornaments," he challenged. He turned back pick up a box that Brucely was sniffing. "C'mon, this should be easy."

She sighed and gave in. "Red, yellow, and green."

"Ding, ding, ding!" Wally showed her the plastic globes of ketchup, mustard, and relish. "We have a winner!"

Brucely trotted over to Artemis and sat down by her feet as Wally tore open the boxes to start dressing the tree. She looked down at their dog, noticing a pine needle in his mouth. She bent down and took it from him before he swallowed it; they'll have to keep him away from the tree.

"You can start helping whenever you want." Wally commented once he opened all the boxes. "It would be nice."

Artemis made her way next to the tree and Wally sat down on the floor. They fell into a system where he supplied the ornaments for her to hang them up. Time and colors flew by as they argued where to put each color; she wanted to hang them up randomly, but Wally claimed that there had to be a pattern. Ultimately, Artemis won after threatening abstinence if he didn't shut up.

When they were finished they stood on the other side of the room to check it out. Wally hugged Artemis from behind and rested his head on her shoulder. She leaned back against him, feeling that something was missing from the tree. After a few seconds of staring she smirked.

"Wally?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't buy a star, did you?"

His groan shook the foundation of their home.


	5. Day 5- Scarf

The Watchtower was stocked full of every snack food you can ever think of at all times. The grocery list counted for everyone and their metabolic needs, sidekicks and heroes. Everything was bought in bulk to last a bit longer. The only way they could run out of a snack is if everyone suddenly wanted the same one.

Well, it happened. The younger members of the team – Jaime, Bart, Cassie, La'gaan, Robin, Garfield, and Virgil – were having a marathon of almost all the Christmas specials made in the last few decades. Although there was an abundance of snack to choose from, everyone wanted the pumpkin spice cookies.

There were twenty five boxes of cookies when they started, but after the third hour they were on their last box. They fought all throughout the end of Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas on what they should do. Bart was even banned from going near the box since he was responsible for eating half of them, which he claimed was _so _not true; it was all Gar and Virgil.

They ended it up deciding someone had to go and buy a truck load more. Who was the poor sap that had to go back down into the cold and miss How the Grinch Stole Christmas was decided in a very mature game of rock, paper, scissors.

_I advised you to choose the scissor._

"How could you have known he was going to pick rock," Jaime grumbled, adjusting the coordinates of the zeta tubes for the only store that sold enough for them; in a snow covered Gotham.

"Talking to yourself again?" Cassie asked from his side. "It's not as cute as you think."

She had volunteered to go with him simply for the reason that she needed a little exercise before they began the Mickey Mouse version of A Christmas Carol. Of course no one believed her and they teased her mercilessly, making kissing noises when she walked out of the room with Jaime.

"Last chance to stay here," he warned as the zeta tubes lit up.

She snorted while taking his gloved hand in hers. "And let you go into Gotham – home of the crazies – by yourself? I like my boyfriends in one piece, thank you very much."

"You adorable," Jaime complimented, pecking her cheek and walking into the zeta tubes.

Gotham was a lot colder than they expected it to be. It was just the beginning of December, but it felt like the dead of winter in Antarctica. Snow didn't fall – no, it plummeted right at them. Even through all the layers of clothing the wind bit at them like a ravaged dog.

"Let's get the cookies before our noses fall off." Jaime nodded and together they went to find the store.

It was four blocks away from where they were teleported to. Four blocks of snow trying to bury them and wind trying to push them into the street. Four blocks of fast walking past the few unfortunate souls outside. Four blocks of frozen hell.

Half way there Jaime was wishing he brought a scarf to keep the lower half of his face warm. He swore his facial hair was turning into tiny icicles right under his blue nose that wouldn't stop running. God, he looked so unattractive right then.

Cassie noticed how much he was suffering in the foreign weather, feeling bad for him. If she could have she would've magically pulled out a scarf from her pocket for him. But she was no Zatanna and she only had one scarf.

"Hold on," Cassie ordered. Jaime slowed down to a stop, turning to give her a pleading look. "It'll just be a minute."

Jaime started bending and unbending his knees in attempt to stay warm, squinting as he watching Cassie unwrap the scarf around her neck. Just as he was going to question what the hell she was doing she began putting it around his neck.

"I know what you're going to say and you need it more than I do right now."

Jaime readjusted it so he could have a good look at just what he was wearing. "It's pink."

"So?"

"It doesn't go with my outfit," He jutted his bottom lip out in mock displeasure. "This is a crime of fashion."

Cassie laughed and shivered. "Let's hurry up and get those damn cookies." He thanked Cassie for the scarf and they resumed their trek to the get the cookies.

After paying for two carts filled with the cookies and carrying all the bags back through the snow, they made it back to the Watchtower. Jaime let out a long moan of pleasure as soon as he was away from the snow and Bart was immediately there to 'help' with the cookies. Jaime handed Cassie back her scarf, sitting down just as the next special started.


	6. Day 6- Sledding

"C'mon! The snow will melt if you go any slower!"

"No it won't."

"Just, hurry up!"

Conner chuckled, readjusting the sled over his shoulder and quickening his pace a little bit. Garfield shifted from foot to foot in front of the front door of the Cave as he waited for him. M'gann came flying in just as Conner made it to the front, winter clothing in her hands.

"Hold on," She stood in front of Gar and scowled lightly. "Why aren't you wearing a coat?"

"Don't worry, sis, I'm gonna turn into a penguin." He grinned up at her and took the winter clothes from her. Dumping them in a semi-neat pile at the foot of the mountain, he went next to Conner who had stopped at the foot of Mt. Justice.

M'gann followed them out, arms folded across her chest. As promised Gar turned into a green penguin, chirping happily as he rolled around in the snow. Conner picked up penguin Gar, tossed him into the air a couple of times, and then tucked him under his arm. With the sled under his other one he prepared to leap up.

"Don't go too high," M'gann said, "Just half way up."

Gar let out a low chirp and Conner nodded. "We'll go half way."

"That's still too," Conner leaped up, piles of snow flying at the force, and left M'gann with half her sentence unheard. Shaking the snow off her arm she let out a sigh through a fond smile. Her boys.

Gar wiggled out of Conner's grasp as soon as they landed on a ledge half way up the mountain. Conner set down the sled, placing it so a little less than half was off of the ledge. He sat down on it and placed both hands in top of the snow. Gar hopped in place, flapping his wings in excitement.

At the nod of Conner's head they both went sliding down; Conner using his hands to give him a push and Gar sliding down on his stomach. Conner held on to the sides of the plastic sled as he went down at an incredible speed, already leaving Gar behind. Gar adjusted himself in an effort to catch up to Conner. When they reached the bottom of the hill Conner slammed his hands down and bunch up snow to slow down and Gar changed into an out of place elephant; the change in mass decreasing his speed.

"That was so much fun!" Gar yelled out when he was back in his normal form. "Let's go again!"

Conner stood up, a huge grin on his face. "I thought you said you could keep up."

"Maybe I could if I had super strength to push me down." He stuck out his tongue, rubbing his arms to get rid of the snow.

"You know," M'gann started slowly, a small smile appearing on her face. "That looked pretty fun."

Conner grabbed her hand, tugging her closer to him. "You can ride down with me."

"And you can carry me!" Gar shifted into a penguin and waddled next to M'gann. She giggled, picking him up and cradling him in her hands. She started flying up the mountain and Conner leaped once again; this time going a little bit higher than before.

As the guys got set up, M'gann looked around her at all the white snow covering everything that used to be green, kicking some up with the toe of her boot. Absent mindedly her skin turned a white color – not the regular Caucasian color. She was as white as the snow everyone loved and enjoyed. She looked down at her hands, noticing her change of color and quickly switched back to her regular green.

She changed just as Conner motioned for her to sit down at the front of the sled. Throwing the thoughts away she sat down, staring down the mountain. Unease bubbled up inside her at their height, until Conner sat down behind her and put one arm around her waist. She leaned back into his chest and smiled excitedly at Gar. He chirped back and then they were off.

She screamed the whole way down. At first she felt like she left her stomach back at the starting point, but when she felt Conner's laugh vibrate into her back she relaxed enough to look around and not at the ground. Gar was curving his body to weave his way down, sometimes going over a rock and gliding in the air for a moment.

Her screaming was abruptly cut off when they reached the bottom and Conner put on the breaks. His arm kept her from flying out of the sled, but she was still jerked around as the sled spun around. Gar shifted too late and hit his back on a tree, causing a pile of snow to land on top of him. He came out of the pile as a polar bear and shook his fur.

"I can only remember a handful of times you screamed like that," Conner commented, letting her go and getting up.

She sprang up and slapped his arm. He continued laughing and she couldn't help but giggle. "Shut up."

Gar, normal once again, wiped his nose with his arm. "What other times?"

Conner and M'gann exchanged quick, flustered glances. M'gann's face burned, letting Conner make up lies about her first missions with the team. Instead she busied herself with uncovering the sled and deciding where they should go off from next.

"Let's head for the top," She decided, looking back at them.

Gar pumped a hand in the air and whooped. "Yes!"


	7. Day 7- Carols

"They're here," Wally turned away from the window and pulled the curtains shut. He raced around the room to turn off all the lights. His face displayed the dread that Artemis was feeling.

She helped out with the darkening of the house by switching off the T.V., stereo, and anything that casted even the faintest glow. She apologized to Brucely repeatedly as she lifted him and his pillow into the air and set them down in their bedroom closet. She hesitated for a moment before getting one of his treat bags and throwing a few in there with him.

Meanwhile Wally was by the window again, peaking through the smallest crack at the people coming their way. He prayed to whatever mighty power there was – _if_ there was one – that he would believe in him if they turned around and left. His whispered prayers became more rushed as they steadily moved closer and closer until…

_Ding dong_

They were at their door. Artemis stood frozen in the hallway and he took back everything he said. Wally moved away from the window. He walked as slowly and quietly as he could towards Artemis who was slowly sliding down the wall. There was still that thread of hope that they would leave without trying. That they would go to a brighter house with someone who would appreciate what they were doing.

"_We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!"_

He sat down next to Artemis who was already had her hands pressed to her ears. He could hear Bucely's muffled barks from their room and thought about sending him out to scare away the carolers. Yeah, like they would be afraid of that little guy. They had such resolve nothing less than Batman's glare could scare them off.

"I hate them," Wally muttered under his breath, "I hate them so much."

"Be quiet or they might hear you." Artemis whispered harshly.

He let his head thump against the wall as the carolers continued with their singing. "Maybe if they knew how much I hated them they would leave."

She let out a sigh. "They're little kids, Wally."

"I know," he grumbled out. She sat down on his lap and set her head on his shoulder. Wally's arms circled her waist, his face burying into her hair. If he had to suffer through carolers with anyone he would gladly choose the most heartless villain to scare them away. Since that didn't seem likely he was glad he with Artemis.


	8. Day 8- Snowman

In the freshly fallen snow there was so much potential. Angels could be made, men can be born, fights won, and forts built. So much could be made out of the frozen substance that the possibilities seemed endless. Variations could be made on the simplest things which turned them into master pieces in the maker's eyes. So much joy could come out of making balls out of snow and setting them up differently.

Two teenagers were testing out their abilities on a warmer than usual winter day. The blond gathered up snow into spheres for the brunette who would then smooth it out. The crunch of snow was lost under their conversation, puffs of smoke floating up into the sky.

"This is more work than I thought it would be," Jaime said, packed a new layer of snow on an uneven side.

Cassie made another ball and put it down next to the others. "You have to put some effort if you want it to be good."

"I better be getting something out of this." He muttered under his breath.

"Other than self-satisfaction at making a snowman?" She pecked his cheek and grinned at him. "Maybe. If you do a good job."

Jaime took her advice and did his best to make the snowman look perfect. He fixed the proportions on the head, body, and bottom parts to where they were even. With her help he smoothed out all the sides to the point of flawlessness. In an hour and a half they were almost finished.

They decorated the snowman with the spare parts they found lying around. His arms were made out of scrawny branches and his nose nothing more than a mere twig. Cassie gave him two eyes and a smile while Jaime brushed off fallen snow from the stomach.

"Let's name him Jeffery." She bumped her shoulder with his and felt something that was definitely harder than skin.

Jaime kept smoothing down the snowman's stomach as Cassie stared hard at him. His cheek grew warmer, but not from the cold. Instead, from what he knew what was coming. He braced himself as Cassie opened her mouth.

"You're armored up," Cassie accused. She raised an eyebrow and waited for his explanation.

"It keeps me warm, okay?" Jaime said after a moment of silence passed. Shrugging, he placed five rocks on the snowman's chest, making sure they were evenly spaced out.

Cassie softly chewed on her bottom lip, humming out a response. "So…is the scarab, like, hugging you?"

Jaime immediately let out a flustered response. He was facing her, but his eyes kept darting everywhere else as he tried to formulate a response. "No!"

"He is isn't he!" She giggled into her palm, ignoring Jaime's explanation. "Every time you go Beetle he's hugging you! That's adorable!"

"It's not like that," he tried to organize his thoughts with the scarab basically yelling at him about that not being the case. "I know, I know!"

Cassie smiled mischievously. "So you agree?"

Jaime shook his head furiously. "He is _not_ hugging me. He doesn't even have arms."

"I still think he's hugging you," she teased in a high pitched voice. "Let's go get some donuts."

Cassie took his hand and started walking away from Jeffery. "What about the snowman?"

She shrugged. "We finished him and it's not like he's going to come to life."


	9. Day 17- Blankets

Half asleep, Artemis let her hands wander around in the dark for the blankets that were missing. It was _cold. _She would not sleep without blankets if she could help it. That's why when she found out Wally had them in his side she yanked them over without consideration. She draped them over her body and let out a soft moan when her toes started to thaw.

She had fallen asleep again when she felt the blankets slipping away. She gripped them in her hands, anger boiling her blood, and forced them back to her. She started rolling around, wrapping herself in them until she was a cocoon.

"Baaaabe," Wally whined, hand blindly trying to figure out how to unravel her, "I'm cold."

Artemis growled, sending out an arm to deflect his hand. "That's bullshit."

"No it's not."

"You didn't need any blankets on all those winter missions."

He let out a whimper as she held on tighter to the blankets. He found an edge of the blanket and pulled until he had enough to cover himself. Smiling, he ignored Artemis cussing at him, turning his back to her.

Artemis was fully awake now, going on her knees to get the blankets back. "I swear if you do not give me the blankets back I will shove an arrow up your ass."

Wally shook his head. "You won't, you like it too much."

He let out grunts of displeasure as she tugged at the blankets. He refused to give them up and held on tight. He got cold too; not as much as other people, but enough to allow for the comfort of a blanket. Artemis could go find another blanket if she wanted one so bad.

"Give them to me!" Artemis placed her foot against his back and used her whole body to get the blankets back. He started wiggling around to get her off of him, but she was not about to give in. She was freezing without them.

Wally rolled over and pounced on top of her, the blanket falling over them. He rested his head in the crook of her shoulder and closed his eyes. Artemis tried to get him off, but soon realized that she was warming up. Letting out a huff she decided this was as good as a position as any other. Wally was really warm and her feet were really cold.

"Get your toes away from me, woman!"


	10. Day 18- Snowballs

Long ago the Team decided that once a year they would have an epic snowball fight. There would be two teams that would be chosen by a generator on the computer. They couldn't exchange players or make alliances with the other team. Past experiences would be thrown out of the window and love was something that didn't exist. Victory was the only thing that mattered.

The rules were fairly simple. There were two flags, one in each fort built by the team in the first five minutes, which the other team would try to take down. The only weapon used would be snowballs, but they could be any size. Anything other than snow and tackling would be punished by five minutes on the side lines – except if they severely damaged another player then they would be kicked out. To stop fights from happening Red Tornado would be the referee.

This year's team blue was Dick, Jaime, Cassie, La'gaan, Karen and Conner. Team red was M'gann, Gar, Bart, Barbara, Mal, and Tim. They all put on their winter gear and went to the open space outside the mountain. Red Tornado stood by the sidelines as he started the pre-game five minutes.

Once the time was up and the forts were built everyone stayed still to see who would throw the first snowball. The air was tense as everyone held a snowball in each hand. Finally, someone threw the first one – that brave soul being Bart who was growing impatient. He aimed at Jaime who moved his head out of the way. Then the war began.

Snowball after snowball was thrown around to stop them. Bart tried to run over to take their flag, but was almost run over by a snowball ten feet in diameter. Cassie tried to get past their front line, but M'gann nearly buried her in snow. Mal attempted to use his football training, but was taken down by La'gaan.

After an hour Conner, Bart, M'gann and Dick were kicked out and rooting on their team by Red Tornado. The red team appeared to be working out a plan to get to the flag by having Gar turn into an octopus and throw snowball after snowball while the rest spread out and tried to get the flag. The blue team responded by focusing on their efforts on keeping them away.

When they were pushed back Cassie and La'gaan started charging, Cassie using her bracelets to block the snowballs and La'gaan puffed up. Jaime stayed back and provided them cover as they neared the fort. Then as they were almost there they stopped and turned around. The other team was confused for a moment until they heard wood splitting behind them.

As Cassie and La'gaan were distracting them Karen had gotten smaller and flew behind them. She had maneuvered around all of them until reaching the stick the flag was on. They tried to swat her away, but it was too late. Their flag had fallen and the blue team had won the match and the privilege of choosing what missions they go on for the next month.


	11. Day 19- Santa

After the untimely death of Marie Logan M'gann made it her personal mission to be the best sister to Gar she could possibly be. So every holiday she would go all out for him to keep him from feeling alone. She would put up every decoration she could, bake the right treats, and have big parties. She would do anything to keep that smile on Gar's face.

On their first Christmas since Gar moved in M'gann wanted to get him whatever he wanted, even if she had to take out a loan. It was a rough year for both of them and she didn't want to let him down by getting him a few gifts. If he asked for just a few basic things then she would go out and buy things she knew he would like. It wasn't spoiling if he deserved it.

Two weeks before Christmas Gar found her as she got back from a quick mission. In his hands he held a crisp white envelope with words already scribbled on. He fell into step with her as he fiddled with the envelope.

"Do you mind mailing this for me?" He asked, holding it out to her.

She read the address he wrote and raised an eyebrow. "The North Pole?"

"That's where Santa lives," Gar prompted. "You know who Santa is, right?"

"Of course I do." She ruffled his hair and held up the envelope. "I'll mail it first thing in the morning."

He grinned at her, fixing his hair as they rejoined the others. "I wish I could tell him myself, but whatever." He spotted Conner crouched down by Wolf and went over to challenge him to a video game.

M'gann let him go, smacking the envelope against her palm a couple of times, thinking over the quick exchange. She knew who Santa Claus was before coming to Earth and that he wasn't a real person. She thought Gar knew that by now, but obviously she thought wrong. And why wouldn't he? They socialized with people who could run around the world in less than an hour on a daily basis. Why couldn't there be a man who did that and gave presents to little kids?

She wasn't about to go on some crazed search for Santa Claus – she knew better than that. Yet, she couldn't shake his request out of her head. He wanted to tell Santa what he wanted in person. She could take him to the nearest mall Santa except for his change of complexion. She couldn't let his wish go unanswered. She just needed to bring Santa to the Cave.

And she knew how.

She waited until a few days passed and everyone else was busy to put her plan into action. She paused outside of Gar's door, sensing him already inside, preparing herself for this. She needed to pull this off without raising suspicion. When she was ready, she raised one gloved hand to knock on the door.

Gar quickly shut off his phone, silencing the fake laughter directed at his mom after she messed something up again. He didn't want to be caught watching the show; not when M'gann still wasn't ready to watch it with him. She had her own grieving process that she was still going through.

Leaping off the bed, he pressed the button for the door. It was probably M'gann asking if he wanted to do something with her, something that he would say yes to if just to keep her happy. Or it could be Conner looking for a rematch. Either one he was okay with.

What he was not okay with was a big, fat man smiling down at him. He jumped back into the room, putting a few feet between them and bearing his claws. The intruder squeezed through the door way and into the room, the door sliding shut behind him. Gar let out a growl as he tried to remember where the emergency button was.

"Ho ho ho!" The intruder said, holding his belly as he laughed. "No need to be so defensive, Garfield!"

Okay, weird. "How do you know my name? And how did you get in here?"

"Why, I'm Santa Claus!" He spread his arms out, the smile still plastered on his face.

Gar could see it now: the red suit, the hat, the white fluff hanging off the hems, the giant stomach, and the beard. Santa Claus was in his room. The imaginary man was standing right in front of him looking like he wanted a hug. It would've been a dream come true if he still believed in him. Now it was just messing with his mind.

"Santa Claus is real," Gar mumbled to himself, hands dropping to his side. "Everything is real."

If Santa Claus was real then wasn't everything else? Was the Tooth Fairy real? The Sandman? The Easter Bunny? Jack Frost?! Gar's mind raced with all the possibilities that this new information gave him. It meant that there really was someone watching him at all times and judging him for everything.

As Gar went through his epiphany, Santa Claus started to get worried. Gar had this wide eyed look to him that was becoming increasingly alarming. He could read his mind to see what he was thinking, but that would be an invasion of privacy. Instead, Santa Claus opted for disappearing.

M'gann gently shook Gar's shoulders until his eyes focused back on her. He immediately looked around for Santa Claus and M'gann told him there was none; that it was her the whole time. She put a hand on his cheek as she explained it to him.

Gar did not take it well. He moved his face out of her hands and stepped back. "M'gann! Why would you do that?!"

"I-I thought you wanted to tell Santa what you wanted for Christmas," She wringed both of her hands, holding them to her chest doubtfully. "Did I scare you?"

"Scare me? You scarred me for life! You had me believing Santa Claus and all his buddies were real!"

"So that means you don't believe in him?" Now she was just confused. "Then why did you write him a letter?"

Gar rolled his eyes like it should be obvious. "So you would know what to get me for Christmas."

"Oh."

Gar let out a sigh and let his gaze fall on M'gann. She was blatantly embarrassed for her actions, cheeks slightly tinted read. Her lips were in her mouth and being chewed by her teeth, waiting to hear what Gar had to say next. His shoulders slumped and he put a hand on her shoulder.

M'gann met his gaze, finding forgiveness. "You get points for trying," Gar told her with a lopsided smile. "And if you say it was a prank your cool factor goes up."

She smiled back. "It was definitely a prank."

"Man! You really got me good, sis!"

M'gann brought him into a hug and kissed the top of his head affectionately. Gar laughed into her shoulder, struggling half-heartedly. He made warned her that he would have to get her back at some point. To which she responded by turning her clothes red and extending her stomach until Gar was thrashing in her arms trying to get out.


	12. Day 20- Early Present

"Hermano!"

Jaime debated if he should stop for Bart or too keep walking until he reached the Zeta Tubes. Apparently it didn't matter; Bart was at his side in a second, smiling a bit too innocently. One eyebrow rose in Jaime's forehead at this.

"Yes?"

"I got you an early Christmas present." Bart held up a bright red and green bag, tissue paper peeping out.

Jaime hesitantly took the bag from him, actually listening to the scarab when he told him it could be some sort of prank. Bart kept smiling and clasped his hands behind his back as Jaime opened the bag.

The tissue paper crinkled as he dug through the piles of it. At the bottom of the bag was a lump of tissue paper that when touched revealed to be covering something. Jaime let the bag dangle on his wrist, using both hands to grab the wad. He tore through the green layers until he got rid of it all. What he was left with confused him.

"Freeze dried chicken wheezes?" He asked, holding up the bag of junk food up. It was snacked sized – it couldn't be one of the regular bags?

Bart nodded. "To make up for the one I took from you."

Jaime opened the bag and reached in. "You know that you still have to make up for the other five bags."

Bart put his arm around him, trying to get a few for himself. "What do you think I got you for Christmas?"


	13. Day 21- Cookies

"I smell cookies!"

M'gann set down the plate of Christmas colored cookies on the counter just as Gar came in, obviously looking for handouts. She turned away to pick up a dish cloth that fell, giving Gar the chance to swipe a few. Before he could she levitated the plate above his reach and lightly scolded him.

"These cookies are for everyone else," M'gann told him as she set them back down. "You can eat them with them when they come back from the mission in Russia."

Gar let out a whine akin to a kitten's. "But why?"

"Because I said so." She morphed her apron away and fluffed her hair with her hands. "Can you make sure no one else eats them?"

"Why can't you do it," Gar asked begrudgingly. "You can smack their hands away with the spoon."

She decided to ignore his last comment and smiled softly. "I'm going to watch a movie with La'gaan in my room."

"What?!" Gar stepped in front of her and got a stern look on his face. "You'll guys be alone? In a room?! No! I do not approve of this! I'm going to watch the movie with you."

"Gar…"

He shook his head, lifting a finger to point as his head. "I know how guys think, sis, and I am not about to let you get caught in a situation where he may try to make a move on you. Nope. Decision made. Nothing can change my vote. It is set in stone. It's one of the Ten Commandments: thou shall not let thou's sister be alone with a guy in her room." He ended his declaration in a huff, crossing his arms and lifting his chin.

"We're going to watch the first Chucky movie."

M'gann smirked triumphantly when Gar hesitated in his comeback. For some reason he couldn't stand horror movies dealing with dolls. If he did watch one he would stay up all night to make sure no dolls tried to smother him with a pillow. She would admit it was a little mean to use this against him, but she wanted some alone time with her new boyfriend.

"I changed my mind," Gar said slowly. "La'gaan knows what will happen if he tries anything. I've sparred with him a couple of times to show my strength."

M'gann giggled and patted Gar's shoulder. "Watch those cookies for me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," He grumbled, turning his head to watch her leave. He looked back at the tray of cookies and let out a pained moan. He needed a distraction and he could hear Mario Kart call his name.

Just as he was about to start a race, Conner passed by with Wolf dutifully at his side, sniffing at the air. Gar quickly talked him into playing a game with him and setting up a bet where the loser gives Wolf a bath. Conner picked up a controller, got ready, and started racing Gar.

"Get ready to be covered in dog shampoo, kid," Conner said at the middle of their second lap. "Cus I am kicking your butt!"

Gar drove through a box and got a blue shell. He let out a snicker, falling back a safe distance. Conner remained oblivious; too busy trying to make Princess Peach slip on a banana. A crash sounded in the background, almost going over their heads as Conner tried to dodge the blue shell. When the shell hit him he glanced back at the source of the racket.

"Wolf!" The mutant dog in question had tipped over the tray of cookies M'gann made and was too busy eating them to give Conner any ounce of attention. Gar let out a squeak, forgetting the game and hurrying over to save what few cookies remained.

"Sis is going to kill me." Gar said after they shooed Wolf away. He kicked the few cookies and crumbs that were left; more saddened by the fact that he didn't even get half a cookie.

Conner rubbed a hand through his hair, thinking of what he should do now. He could just tell her that Wolf ate them when he wasn't paying attention, but she could think he did it on purpose. Well, maybe La'gaan would think that and try to convince her. That's an option. And then there's Gar who is currently freaking out over letting her down.

"We'll make new ones," he decided.

Gar looked up at him, slightly confused. "You know how to bake cookies?"

"We've both helped M'gann," he shrugged, calling Wolf back so he could clean up the mess. "We can figure it out."

That's how they ended up standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring into the cupboards and trying to find the correct ingredients. After a while Gar gave up and rested his head on the counter, reading the back label of the flour.

"I mostly ate the cookie dough," Gar confessed, eyes following Conner's back.

His shoulders slumped, "Me too."

He lifted a finger and pointed to a space above the stove. "I'm pretty sure that's where she keeps the cook books."

Conner picked one out, flipping through the pages until he found a cookie recipe that looked like what she made. He found one near the end and started listing things off for Gar to collect. After they had everything they would need they got down to business.

It was a messy process. They didn't know how easily flour could be blown away or how to take the correct measurements. Most of the time they went with their gut feeling until they had something that looked like cookie dough; it didn't taste quite right, but it was good enough. Maybe after it baked it would be better.

The cookies came out in misshapen blobs that looked nothing like the precise circles M'gann has learned to make. They both shrugged and put them on the plate and on the counter. The whole experience would've taken M'gann forty minutes, but took them closer to an hour.

They went back to playing the game just as M'gann walked into the kitchen with an empty bowel. She assured Gar that everything was fine and she was just getting some more chips for them. She didn't acknowledge Conner and he didn't acknowledge her. They were still in the post break up awkwardness.

She was about to leave when she spotted the cookies on the plate. Furrowing her eyebrows together she took in their odd appearance. She didn't make cookies like that anymore and they were still hot. She felt Gar watching her and turned her head to see his expression. He mimicked her movements, looking back at the T.V.

She smiled knowingly, "Gar, you have flour on your shirt." She started exiting the room and said in a softer voice, "So do you Conner."


	14. Day 22- Christmas Party

Tinsel and garland hung from the walls, sending glimmers across the meeting room. Bright red, green, and yellow assaulted the eyes of everyone in attendance. Christmas carols played on loop from the speakers, each note saturated with cheer. Two snack tables were pushed up against the wall for everyone to have a supply of food; the speedsters got their own table on the other side. A giant tree covered in Christmas decorations stood in the middle of the room, presents waiting underneath.

Every person in attendance – which was every hero that had ever stepped foot in the Watch Tower – had to wear a non-optional Santa hat handed to them by M'gann. Those who refused got dirty looks from her and anyone she could convince that not hat wearers were spawns of the devil.

Jaime had on a Santa hat that kept getting in his line of eyesight. He had to constantly readjust it if he didn't want to risk making a fool of himself. He fixed the hat again, leaning against the doorway, a cup filled with lukewarm eggnog. He hated eggnog for the simple reason that it reminded him of the time he ate a handful of his dad's shaving cream. But it was the only drink left in the party so he managed a few sips.

_We have been here for a reasonable amount of time. Let us depart._

"Thirty minutes is not enough. Leaving now would be rude." He brought the cup up to his lips to hide their movement.

_Not according to the Nightwing and the Batgirl. _The two in question were sneaking out of the room, heading the opposite way of the zeta tubes.

"They'll be back later. And instead of watching them why don't you look for Cassie."

In the half hour he has been here Jaime had looked around the room for a certain blonde about fifty times. After the first ten times he deducted that she wasn't here yet. Knowing she would show up eventually he talked with the other people for a while until Bart got out of hand.

Apparently Jaime outlawed candy canes in the future or something because Bart never had one before. When the Flash handed him a white with red stripes cane Bart went crazy. He finished his first one in five seconds and was at the table getting more in less than three.

It would've been fine if there were just the traditional mint ones, but there were assortments with various types of candy canes. All of them were gone by the time Bart was done and did his breath smell fresh. The Flash took him for a run to burn some of the energy in him while everyone quickly hid the remaining candy canes.

"Are we storing candy canes for the winter?" Cassie asked. She intertwined her fingers in his and squeezed. "Hi."

He squeezed back. "Hey. You missed Bart getting addicted to candy canes."

"The good stuff always happens when I'm gone."

Noticing Batgirl and Nightwing return to the party he nodded. "Yup."

She stepped in front of him and gestured to her sweater. "So?"

Jaime took in the monstrosity that was her sweater. It had 'JOY' knitted in on the middle, the 'O' replaced with a Christmas ornament. The words were surrounded by bright blue tinsel and the inside of it was green with the rest of the sweater a traditional red. "It's a…sweater."

"It's for the ugly sweater contest." She explained, glancing around the room for her competitors. "Think I'll win?"

"You'll probably get last place." He was staring at his cup, sloshing the eggnog around.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Just vote for me, 'kay?"

"Of course, _amor._"

"Good. Now I'm going to see who else I can get to vote for me." She moved to join the rest of the party only to have Jaime bring her back. Knowing what he wanted, she smiled and leaned towards him for a kiss.

"I know the seniors are voting for Conner," Jaime informed her when they pulled away. "The League members are split between the Flash and Captain Marvel, most of the girls will probably vote for you if not Barbara, and then there's La'gaan."

Cassie adjusted her sweater and put on her game face. "Let's go earn me some votes."


End file.
